Ice Blue Eyes
by Lynx7
Summary: Helga's gone! .... or is she? And why is Arnold acting so strangely? Chapter 4's continuation is up! HelgaxArnold Pairing. Read and Review if you have the time! :D
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hey Arnold! the show or its characters. Okay? Okay. :)

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Ice Blue Eyes  
By Lynx7

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Arnold lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The sky was very clear today, he thought; And also very blue. Like the color of Helga's eyes.

"What am I saying?" he hissed, sitting upright, appalled at his thoughts.  
"She's been gone for almost 3 years now. Some people have even forgot about her already." He scolded himself. He gritted his teeth in frustration, his hands clenching into fists. The sky wasn't as clear as it was a few moments ago, with a small group of clouds moving slowly from the east. Arnold closed his eyes. "So then...why do i keep thinking about her?"

flashback

"Helga, is that you?" Arnold asked, lifting up his umbrella to get a closer look at the huddled figure sitting on the sidewalk. His eyes widened in surprise. "Helga, what happened?" he said, with real concern in his voice. "Why are you out in this kind of weather? Do your parents know where you are?"

"Just shut up for a second, Arnold." Helga murmured, stifling a sneeze.  
"Why do you always stick your nose into other people's business like that,  
football-head??" she snapped as he stepped closer. She seemed to hesitate as she spoke. "Just-- just leave me alone."

He didn't know why those words had hurt so much. After all, they never really were friends. But at that moment, he felt as if a huge blow had been made to his stomach, and it hurt too much for words to describe.

"You know what Helga," he finally replied, his voice rising in anger. "I don't know why I even bother talking to you." He said, his voice was cold.  
This seemed to startle Helga, for she immediately turned to look at him. Her eyes were red and she was very pale. "So I think I will listen to your insults for once and if you want me to leave you alone, I will. Goodbye, Helga." He turned around just as her eyes widened, a look of horror sweeping across her face. He never even saw her cry.

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The following day, Helga avoided him. He didn't even bother to speak to her either. It was like she wasn't there. This went on for a few days until one day, Helga stopped coming to school. Arnold wasn't phased a bit but soon became worried as the days wore on.  
"Helga?" replied Phoebe, seemingly surprised at his question. "She moved.  
Moved to California last Wednesday." as the petite Japanese girl spoke, her eyes watered and she rubbed them in frustration. "Her family had been planning it for months now," she paused, and then continued. "but she only found out about it a few days ago." Phoebe coughed and blinked a few times before continuing. But Arnold wasn't listening anymore.

"That night---" he murmured lost in his thoughts. "I was so cold to her without even bothering to know why!" He cried out as he slammed his fist into the wall. Phoebe jumped a little from the outburst, but could only look at him sadly as a tear fell onto her cheek. "...but it's too late now." He spoke, barely averaging a whisper. "She's gone"

end of flashback

Arnold shut his eyes. He didn't want to feel the pain anymore.  
"Helga," he whispered, lost in his thoughts. He wanted so much to just get away from everything. From all those memories. But why did he care so much? She, the most notorious bully ever known at P.S. 118 was occupying his thoughts way more than she ever did before moving away. And no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't figure out why.

But then again, he didn't really want to know. He wanted to forget everything. Forget ever being present that night. He didn't want to care.

Arnold closed his eyes again that day, but this time, he slept.

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"Um, grandpa, don't you think this is a bit too much?" Arnold gasped, struggling to carry 3 bags full of meat. Grandpa heartily slapped him on the back, which only caused him to struggle even more with the packages.

"Nonsense, shortman! It's to toughen up your muscles!" He said happily."Well, here we are!" Grandpa exclaimed, stopping in front of a small residencial building.  
"I gotta go now, shortman! But don't forget to take these to Pookie, alright?"

"Sure thing, grandpa." Arnold replied, leaving the old man on the building's doorstep.Arnold couldn't help but laugh to himself as he began to turn a corner. He really loved spending time with his grandfather, even more so now that they were both getting older. "Oh grandpa--" Arnold began, but soon found himself hitting the cold cement, really hard.

"Ow! Watch where you're going, geekbait!" A loud voice rang in his ear.  
There stood a girl, about his age, with jet-black hair. She wore leather jeans along with a black shirt, and a simple silver ring rested on her finger. She stared at him coldly. Arnold quickly stood up, not bothering to pick up the meat.

"Helga.?" he asked in disbelief, focusing his eyes on her. She gave him a disgusted look.

"What the heck did you call me?" The girl frowned, curling up her fists as she spit a wad of gum onto the street. Arnold turned away.

"S-sorry. I thought you were someone else." He apologized. But as the girl pushed him away anxiously, she seemed to hesitate.

"Well don't call me that name EVER again blondie. It makes me sick." She growled, giving him one last menacing glare before walking away. Arnold stood there for a second in disbelief. She was so much like Helga. The way she moved, the color of her eyes, even the way she glared at him. But there was no way. Arnold picked up the meat slowly. Still contemplating on what just happened. He started to walk away when something caught his eye. It was the ring.

"She must've dropped it when she pushed me." He said to himself as he quickly picked it up. "I'd better give it back to her."

Arnold stuffed the ring in his pocket before carrying the bags of meat once again. He talked about nothing else that day with Helga still on his mind.

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"Man, you've got it bad." Gerald smirked as he shut his locker door. Arnold rolled his eyes.

"How would YOU know Gerald?" he groaned, leaning his head on the wall. He hadn't gotten much sleep the other night. "Mr. Hardemann gives WAY too much homework." he mentally told himself.

"Look Arnold. When you had a major crush on Ruth McDougle and Lila, who figured it out? None other than yours truly. I'm your best friend. I can tell when these things happen." Gerald stated, the smirk never leaving his face. Arnold groggily waved his hand in the air and dismissed the conversation. Gerald sighed in exasperation.

"Whatever you say, Man."

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Arnold shifted restlessly in his seat. He hadn't liked what Gerald had said. Him? In love with Helga? It probably was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. And yet, he felt a tinge of uncertainty as Gerald's words echoed through his head once again. Well, did he like her?

"Yeah, right." He murmured, shaking his head. The bell rang. Arnold lifted his bag from the back of his seat and quickly stepped out of the classroom.  
He didn't feel like hanging out with the gang today.

"Wait up Arnold!" came a dainty voice out of nowhere as he reached the entrance of P.S. 118 high school.

"What??" he yelled in frustration. It was as if they were all bugging him that day on purpose. But as he turned around, he immediately regretted his actions.

"Arnold?" Lila whispered meekly, a hurt look appearing on her face. "Are you alright? You seem-"

"I'm fine, Lila." He said, trying his best to sound polite. Even though he hated seeing her look like that, he still didn't really feel like talking to her, or anyone else for that matter.

"Well, if you need anyone to talk to, I'll be here." She said, putting her hand on his shoulder, giving him a warm smile. Arnold bit his lip. She was always like this. This kind, unselfish person whom he had been in love with ever since he knew she existed. At least, he thought he did. He pulled away hesitantly, not wanting to see her face.

"No, really Lila, I'm fine." He said, walking away. He heard a faint 'goodbye' as her footsteps faded amidst the bustling noise of the outside boundaries of P.S.118. He sighed in relief. He didn't want to feel the desire to be with her. It just felt... wrong. But even as he thought about it, he seemed to regret what he just did even more. He knew he liked her,  
end of discussion. But at the same time, he couldn't stand the fact that she didn't like him the same way. He sighed once again. This really wasn't his day.

He was halfway to his home before he heard strange voices coming from an alley.

"Get your hands off me, you creep!" a girl yelled. Arnold ducked in the alley to get a closer look. His eyes widened in surprise. It was the girl he had met earlier that week.

"Let go off me, you freak!" She screamed again, jerking her arm rapidly from the man. Arnold felt anger rising from his chest. The man merely chuckled.

"Not 'til you give me a kiss, baby." He said, moving his face closer to hers. She cringed in disgust. Finally, Arnold snapped.

"Let go of her." He said, as he stepped out of the shadows, his hands tightly clenched into fists. Both the girl and the man stared at him in surprise. Finally the man spoke.

"Get out of the way, boy. This is none of your business." He snapped,  
tightening his grip on the black-haired girl's arm. She yelped in pain.  
Arnold couldn't take it anymore.

"Let go of her!" he said finally, before punching the guy in the face. The bulky man stumbled backwards.

"You..." he growled, spitting out a tooth. "You'll pay for this, kid!" he said, turning away from the scene. He kicked a garbage can before disappearing in the distance. Arnold was breathing heavily now.

"I didn't need your help." A voice hissed in his ear. He turned around.

"Sorry." he began, but she was already halfway across the street before he could even say another word. He stuffed his hands into his pockets.  
Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. "Wait!" he called out. She stopped and glared at him from afar. He almost lost all power to speak.  
"Um, your ring." he began, lifting the silver trinket out of his pocket. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stepped closer to him to get a better look at the piece of jewelry. "I found it the other day. I thought you might have wanted it back."

She stared at him for a moment. Her eyes seemed to search through him, lost in her own emotions. Then, it was gone. Her eyes closed in on the ring, a scowl decorating her face once again as she began to walk back towards him.

"Whatever." She groaned as she snatched the ring from Arnold's hands. Then she paused for a moment. "Thanks." She said, barely managing a whisper.  
Arnold smiled.

"May I walk you home?" he said, as gallantly as he could. The girl's face contorted once again into a frown. She turned away without saying a word,  
walking faster than before.

"Hey-- Wait up!" Arnold said, following after her but she only ran faster.  
Finally Arnold couldn't take it anymore. In a moment of carelessness, he tripped, his legs giving way as he fell to the ground, really hard. He stood there, dazed for a moment, as he watched her disappear in the crowd. He was completely lost in thought.

"Hey mister, are you all right?" a tiny voice rang in his ear.

"Huh?" he said, looking up to find a little boy looking at him strangely.  
He glanced at his watch. 7:30 pm.

"Shoot, I'm late for dinner!" he stammered, standing up on his feet,  
running as quickly as he could to the boarding house. He tried his best to get Helga off of his mind.

But some thoughts still lingered in his head.

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"Arnold."

"Huh? Who's there?"

"Arnold.."

"Who- who are you??"

"Arnold!"

"Stop it!" Arnold screamed, staring up at the ceiling. He was sweating all over. Arnold closed his eyes in relief. It had only been a nightmare. He checked his clock. 7:15am. Arnold sighed.

"It's a Saturday." He murmured, groggily sitting up from his bed. "I forgot."

He winced. His head hurt really bad. "Must've been the nightmare." Arnold assured himself as he got ready to take a bath. But deep inside he knew the real reason. Arnold hit his head on the wall. "Stop it, Arnold." he told himself once again, but he couldn't. Nightmares of Helga had been plaguing him night after night over the past 3 years, ever since his conversation with Phoebe about Helga's disappearance. He closed his eyes once again, but this time in frustration. He needed an aspirin.

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Arnold checked his watch. 2:35pm. He was supposed to meet the gang at the bowling alley in an hour and a half. "I guess i could pass by the park..."  
he trailed off. Ever since last year, for reasons unknown, he had begun to visit the park on a weekly basis just to think and maybe hang out with some friends if ever they were interested in joining him. He checked his watch again. 2:37pm. He had plenty of time.

The crisp fresh air invigorated Arnold as he sat at his favorite spot by the lake. He closed his green eyes and sat there, deep in thought. He was like that a lot these days. At least, that's what Gerald had told him.

"Man, you think too much these days!" were the exact words Gerald had said during a seemingly harmless conversation about Pizza. Arnold chuckled to himself. The situation seemed pretty funny at the time. He opened his eyes slowly. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice someone slip by beside him.

"Mind if I join you?" a female voice asked sweetly. Arnold turned his head.

"Sure, Lila," he replied, a bit confused. She had never gone up to him like this before. It was usually the other way around. "Do you need anything,  
Lila?" he asked. Lila looked at him, slightly blushing.

"No Arnold, it's nothing really.." She began. "I just wanted to spend some time with you, that's all." Lila said, looking out into the lake. She seemed lost in thought. Arnold didn't say anything. He had already begun to stare at a figure in the distance.

"It's the girl." he thought aloud. She seemed to be coming closer. Arnold quickly stood up. Lila seemed startled by this since she stood up as well.  
She opened her mouth to say something but closed it quickly, looking very hesitant.

"Look Lila, I have to go, I-" Arnold began but was soon cut off by two lips meeting his. The kiss seemed to last almost forever. Arnold merely stood there, shocked at what had taken place right before him. Lila had kissed him. He couldn't believe it. And yet, he didn't want to believe it. No sparks flew, no fireworks, just... nothing. It was just a kiss. Arnold stood there confused for a second. Lila looked at him strangely.

"I-Im sorry, I don't know what came over me, I-" Lila began, blaming herself for what had just happened. "No. I have to say it. I love you,  
Arnold." she said, her voice was trembling. Arnold looked at her blankly.  
"You... love me?" he said, in complete disbelief. "You. Love me??" Arnold began to chuckle to himself. Lila stared at him, disturbed.

"Arnold, what's wro-"

"You don't understand Lila!" Arnold cut her off. "I loved you. I loved you when you didn't even bother to say hi to me, when all the attention I seemed to get from you was a simple request for help whenever we had group projects together." He said, shaking his head.

"Arnold I,-"

"And now you say you love me??" Arnold continued. "No Lila." he said shaking his head. "Sorry, but I guess I just don't feel the same way." He said, walking away. "Goodbye."

Arnold walked away from the tree, leaving Lila standing there, alone. He closed his eyes. He felt like dying. His whole life was a mess. In his anger and confusion, he had just turned down the girl of his dreams. At least, he thought she was. Arnold clenched his fists. 'No.' he thought. He didn't love Lila. It was just some schoolboy crush. Arnold opened his eyes once again to the bright afternoon sun. "Nope.." he said out loud. He didn't love Lila. He loved-

Arnold turned around in sudden realization of what he had forgotten.The black-haired girl. She had totally slipped his mind after the kiss. He looked back around the park in desperation then sighed. She was nowhere to be found. Arnold sighed in frustration. He glanced at his watch again. 3:22pm.

"At least I'm not gonna be late for bowling." he thought as he set off for the bowling alley. He didn't even notice a coiled figure clad in black hiding meekly behind a tree.

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"Gutter ball?? Again??" Harold exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air. Arnold quietly sat on his chair; sweat dripping off of his forehead."Arnold!!!" Harold exclaimed once again, but Arnold wasn't listening anymore. He needed a break.

"Hey Arnold, you seem distracted..." inquired Sid, looking at Arnold, trying to show concern. Arnold could tell he was stifling a giggle.

"Yeah, you do!" chimed in Stinky from behind. "It's not HELGA, is it?" They both said in unison, bursting out into laughter as soon as they said Helga's name.

"I'm getting outta here..." Arnold said, standing up. Gerald quickly ran towards him.

"Hey man, It wasn't me who-"

"It's okay Gerald." Arnold hissed angrily as he walked out of the bowling alley. "Look, I'm fine. I just need a little rest, okay?" he said finally,  
trying to be as nice and happy as he could. Gerald could only nod his head.  
"Bye Gerald. See you tomorrow."

"Bye Arnold."

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Arnold furrowed his brow in thought. Why had he been mad at Stinky and Sid?  
It wasn't something he'd usually get upset about. And yet-

"No Arnold. It's nothing, remember?" he casually told himself. "You're most probably still shaken up after that whole incident with Lila..."

Arnold stopped for a second, remembering the kiss. He remembered her soft lips, her smooth skin, and her lovely auburn locks. And she said she loved him. Lila loved him. The woman of his dreams had actually considered him as more than a friend! And what did he do? He said no. He turned her away.

"I am so stupid..." He grunted, flopping down on his bed as he stared groggily at the ceiling. It was a cloudy night and he could barely see a star. He turned to his side, ready to fall asleep when the phone began to ring.

"Hello?" He asked, a bit pissed at the sudden interruption.

"Arnold...?" came a soft voice from the other end of the line. Arnold froze.

"Arnold, it's me. Lila."

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Since it's an old story that I'm re-editing, another chapter will be up soon. I've made the chapters longer too, so instead of 6 chapters, it'll become 2. Of course, the story isn't finished yet, so chapters 3 and above will take a really long time to... um... materialize. I hope you'll be able to bear with me 'til then though. :)


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own anything that has to do with Hey Arnold! I write. That is all. :)

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HELGA'S POV

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I uncrossed my legs as I shifted in my seat. After what I saw yesterday, I didn't want to talk to these people right now. But they've never given me much of a choice anyway.

I looked out the window. It was a small diner. We had gotten a booth but I had refused to order anything. I could feel them staring at me, but no one said a word. I bit my lip.

"About P.S. 118..."

"Enough about that school!" I whined, clutching the table tightly. "I told you before that I didn't want to go back and I'm sticking to it, Bob!"

"But don't you miss any of your little friends?" He asked me. I looked at him funny. His voice seemed to change a little when he asked that question.

"No."

"Well criminy,Olga! Where do you want to go to school??" He said again, a bit irritated this time.

"It's Helga, dad, and I don't want to go to school." I said simply. I watched him shut his mouth and sit back on the couch, only to be comforted by Miriam.

"Ch." I grunted. "Not like we can afford school anyway..." I murmured quietly.

The waitress finally arrived, carrying their food. Big Bob was eating like a pig again. I stared at him coldly, wondering what it would be like if he got a heart attack and left us alone in the world, just Miriam and I.

"It would be much better anyway..."

I looked at the sun as it slowly disappeared behind the tall buildings in Hillwood. The town sure has changed ever since we left. I had missed it terribly when we were expanding the family business. I shook my head slowly.  
No, there is no family business anymore. It went bankrupt, just like that. And here we are again in Hillwood just like before, only now we're stone cold broke.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come back..." I heard Bob say gently. It surprised me to hear him talk like that, especially to me.

"Whatever." I said, a bit angry. Why did he only realize that now? I looked outside the window again, but this time, my heart stopped beating.

"Check, please."

I don't know what possessed me to go outside, but I did anyway. Bob and Miriam didn't even stop me. The sun was setting as I burst open the door of the diner and it made my eyes hurt, but I could still see him.

Arnold.

"Ar-"I began to call out but froze, remembering that he didn't know who I was. To him I was just another girl who couldn't care less about the people around her.

"Some juvenile delinquent... to him."

My eyes were still following him as he walked down the street. He was looking for someone, since he kept darting his head from side to side.  
Suddenly, he stopped.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I had stopped myself all this time from believing it was true, especially after what happened in the park...but...but...

I closed my eyes and ran. I could feel my black hair clinging to my face but I didn't care. I opened my eyes slightly, and the whole world was a blur.

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ARNOLD'S POV

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"Wow Lila. You look... great!" I said as I walked up to the redhead. She was blushing slightly.

"Of course, Arnold. I wouldn't want you to see me when I'm not at my best"  
She replied, a bit hesitantly. I smiled.

"So where to?" I asked, grabbing her hand.

"Um, I was thinking... maybe we could watch a movie?" she said, tightening her grip on me.

"Sure. C'mon!" We started walking towards the theatre. My mind was whirling. A while ago, we werent even speaking to each other. The next thing I know, we're on a date, watching a movie together. I glanced at Lila. She was smiling and she looked so happy. I could feel myself turn red.

"This is what you wanted Arnold." I told myself silently. "The girl of your dreams is yours and right now, everything is just the way you want it to be."

It was true. Happiness was building up inside me moment by moment and now I don't know why I didn't accept Lila's feelings sooner. Guess it just took a phone call to pull me back to my senses.

"Of course, Arnold, You love Lila, no one else."

"Huh?"

'No, It's nothing." I said quickly, giving Lila a small smile. She looked at me funny, but didn't say anything. We arrived at the movie theatre soon afterwards. There weren't many movies to choose from, but we decided on the theatre anyway since it was the closest to where we were.

"So what do you wanna watch?" I asked casually, although my gaze was lingering at a very popular horror movie.

"I thought you'd never ask! Why, I would ever so want to watch this, Arnold!" Lila replied happily, pointing towards 'Don't Say Goodbye...' the movie that was voted for best romance flick of the year. I tried my best to stifle a groan.

"Um, good choice. I'll go buy the tickets." I said, walking away from her,  
trying to hide my disappointment. Surprisingly, there was a really long line over at the ticket booth. I sighed, not out of disappointment, but rather relief to have a few moments to myself before seeing that annoying movie in a theatre full of sighing women.

"Oh for- Pick up the pace, will ya?? Criminy!" I heard a gruff voice yell behind me. I could hear the rest of the people respond eagerly as well.

"Now Bob... just try to control your temper, please?" I heard a soft voice consoling the man. "Try to be more patient... just this once."

"Alright Miriam..." I heard him mutter softly. "But if I'm not getting my tickets in a few minutes, I swear I will hit somebody!"

I cringed at the sound of his voice. This was someone I would not want to upset. Fortunately it was my turn in no time and I set off toward Lila again once I had the tickets. I could see her talking with Rhonda and Nadine.

"There you are, Arnold! What took you so long?" she asked as soon as she saw me.

"Long lines..." I replied. "Hey Rhonda. Hey Nadine."

"Hey." They both replied in unison. "So, I heard from Lila that you guys are going to watch 'Don't Say Goodbye...' right?" Rhonda asked me. I nodded my head. "Well," she continued. "Nadine and I are watching that movie as well! So I thought we could all watch it together!" she squealed. Then paused. "That is, of course, if we're not gonna bother you on your date... hmm?"

"I ever so wouldn't mind." Lila said, glancing at me.

"Neither would I." I said blankly.

"Then it's settled! Come on Lila! Lets go find some seats while Arnold goes back to buy us some food!" Rhonda said, grabbing Lila by the arm. I could hear her yelp in surprise.

"Us? That's pretty presumptuous, don't you think, Rhonda?" I replied, slightly annoyed at her. Rhonda gave me a sarcastic smile.  
"Whatever." I shrugged, turning around. I could hear them disappearing into the theatre.

"There goes my allowance..." I murmured as I headed toward the snack bar.

"Hey! Pork rinds! Maybe I should buy her one of these..." Came the almost too familiar voice of the man from the line at the booth. This time, he was in front of me. He had a very big build and gray hair, which contrasted greatly with his green polo. Funny though, he reminded me of someone, but I couldn't quite pin point who.

"If it's a peace offering you're looking for, I don't think it'll work.  
Besides, she hasn't eaten those in ages." came the voice of his companion,  
a skinny middle-aged woman. I could tell that the man at the counter was getting quite impatient at the two of them. I chuckled softly to myself,  
but apparently, the man heard me.

"You there! The football-headed kid!" The man said, pointing to me. I gulped.

"Me?" I said, a bit hesitantly.

"Yes you! I wanna ask you something??" He said, this time, raising his voice. I looked at him, my mind filling with uneasiness, but I didn't say anything.  
"Look," he said after a while, his voice growing softer. "How old are you?"

"S-sixteen." I replied, still unsure whether I should my reveal personal information to this loud stranger. He grinned brightly.

"Perfect. You're perfect!"

"Um, perfect for what?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Well kid, I have a daughter and I wanna get her some sort of gift but I don't know what. She's just your age so I figure a guy like you would be able to know what the ladies want..." he said, grabbing me by the shoulder. I stared at him, more unsure now than confused. He sighed.

"Don't worry. I'll give you some money to spend. Here you go." He said handing me two dollars.

"Two dollars?" I gasped at the change in my hand. "It's kinda-"

"I told you it's not enough!" The woman said, whacking him lightly on the head.

"But it's all I have!" he protested, rubbing the spot where she had hit him on. I stared, a bit bewildered. For someone who only has two dollars, he didn't look like it. Wearing a Lacoste polo and a Rolex watch, he looked far from poor.

"Wait a minute. How can you trust me so easily with this? You don't even know me! I mean, i could just take the money and leave. You'd probably never see me again." Arnold butted in, still not willing to believe that the whole situation was actually happening.

"He's right you know." the woman agreed. The gruff man scoffed and paused for a second before speaking again.

"Well, you seem like a nice boy, and it's not that much money anyway. So whaddya say, kid?" he said, smiling a big smile that seemed more threatening than friendly.

"Look... I'll see what I can do, okay?" I said, putting it in my pocket. He seemed like the kind of man who wouldn't take no for an answer. "But how will I give you the gift?"

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "Here's our address! Be ready with the gift by next week." He said, scribbling something on a piece of paper before handing it to me. I quickly stuffed it into my pocket. They left without buying anything soon after, which I think really pissed off the employee at the snack counter.

"What would you like sir?" he asked me once it was my turn. I could tell he was only trying to be nice. I tried my best not to trouble him any more than i should.

"I'd like 3 orders of popcorn and 4 orders of Sprite, in your largest size, please."

"Would you like anything else, sir?" He asked again, looking up at me. I could hear my stomach growling. I smiled.

"Now that you mention it... how much for a bag of pork rinds?"

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I know it's kind of short compared to the first chapter, but I only stuck to the 6 chapters I wrote before and decided not to add anything new just yet. I made this chapter using character POV's, but starting Chapter 3, I'll write it the way that it was written in Chapter 1. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see more of your comments in the future. :)


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yay! Finally, a new chapter! I hope you like it though. Part of it was inspired by the song "Ame ni Utaeba" by Plastic Tree, a Japanese rock band. The song title literally translates to "Singing in the Rain". Oh, and don't forget to read and review if you have the time. Enjoy!

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Helga sobbed uncontrollably, slamming the door to her room before collapsing onto her bed. She already knew that it was a mistake to come back, that old memories would surely resurface and haunt her. She knew that as long as she had a small chance of running into a certain football-head on the streets, she would no longer be able to keep her feelings for him at bay. But even after telling herself all these things day after day, she still didn't run away. In the end, she came back with her parents to Hillwood, the town she swore she would never set foot in ever again.

It didn't help the fact that the first person she ran into was Arnold. Oh, how she had cursed the gods because of that meeting. She was terrible at disguises and changing her hair color didn't make that much of a difference, but the same gods that she had cursed moments before were at least gracious enough to blind Arnold's eyes from the truth. She had panicked when he had said her name though, and for a brief moment, she thought she would respond to it. Thankfully, she didn't, and he had assumed that she was someone else, which gave her enough time to end the conversation and escape as fast as she could.

"Still as dense as ever..." She said in between sobs, her head buried beneath her pillow. The scene she had witnessed earlier near the movie theatre only proved to herself that she was still in love with Arnold, more deeply than she could ever imagine. She thought she could change that when she moved away, so she began to immerse herself in parties and other social gatherings in order to surround herself with new people and influences in her life.

But no matter how much she tried to forget him, in the end she just...couldn't. She still dreamt about him almost every single night, but most of these dreams scared her and only reminded her of that fateful day when Arnold finally told her that he would leave her alone for good. He had said goodbye in a voice that Helga didn't recognize, because to her it had been too cold and uncaring to have been able to belong to the boy that she loved. She had cried then, partly because she didn't want to see him go, but mostly because she was the one who pushed him away in the first place. In her head, it was entirely her fault.

During these past few days however, he had given her hope on their friendship. Even though she was just as cruel if not crueler to him in her disguise, he still gave her back her ring when he could have easily pawned it for some quick cash. That incident was also after he had saved her from a dirty thug and before he had offered to walk her home. She had refused his offer, of course, because she still lived in the same house that she had spent her childhood in; the very house that Arnold had visited numerous times before. She couldn't risk revealing her true identity just yet.

"I can't." Helga thought out loud, hugging her pillow tight. No, she couldn't reveal her identity to him. Not right now at least. His life was going so well and she didn't want to ruin it by putting herself back into the picture. Also, from what she witnessed earlier, he had a girlfriend now and that girl was the same one that he had pined for ever since the fourth grade. Lila.

"Besides... he hates me." She whispered softly, but at the same time wished with all her heart that it wasn't true.

The afternoon sun began to sink lower and lower into the sky and before she knew it, she was fast asleep, dreaming about things that to her, were never meant to be.

--------------

"Bye Arnold."

"Bye Lila." Arnold waved as the redhead promptly closed the door to her house. He turned away from the porch and sighed. "That wasn't so bad after all..." He mused, making his way back to the boarding house. The date had gone just as he expected for the first half of the movie, filled with Rhonda and Nadine's incessant chatter and the annoying sighs of the almost all-female audience. But by the second half, Rhonda and Nadine had grown tired of each other's stories, and eventually, Lila had come to hold his hand. At first it felt weird and uncomfortable, but Arnold let it stay and soon found out that he liked holding her hand. A lot.

"Oh for- make up your mind already!" He mentally scolded himself. He sighed. He didn't know what was wrong with him.

First he wanted her, then when she was all his for the taking, he didn't want her anymore. But after one measly phone call, she got the better of him and he decided to give it a try after all. Now he--

"-doesnt know what the heck he's doing." Arnold said, finishing his thoughts out loud.

He looked up at the street sign and saw that he was already halfway home. Only a few more blocks remained between him and his nice soft sofa and surround sound stereo system. He dug his hands into his pockets as the cold night breeze enveloped him, making him shudder. His right hand touched something briefly in his pocket and it crinkled. It was a piece of paper.

"Great. Now I have another thing to worry about." he groaned. He had forgotten all about the gift that he was supposed to buy for the daughter of that loud mouth back at the movie theatre. He didn't think he was the right guy for the job at all, despite the comments that he received from the couple earlier. First of all, he didn't have that much money left after the date he just had with Lila. Second of all, he was completely clueless as to what a 16-year-old girl would want for her birthday. Arnold furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

"At least I still have a week." he said to himself as he finally arrived at the Sunset Arms Boarding House. The sky was almost completely dark now and he could already smell Grandma's signature roast beef wafting out from the inside. Arnold smiled to himself and entered, slowly closing the door behind him.

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"_IT'S HELGA, DAD. AND FOR THE LAST FRIKKIN' TIME, I AM NOT GOING WITH YOU!" Helga screamed, slamming the door as hard as she could. She wanted to make sure that the sound was loud enough to add another vein to Big Bob's already throbbing forehead. If she was lucky enough, it might even pop, sending him straight down to the place where she wanted him to be in the most. Hell. She scowled, trying her best to tune out the muffled screams and crashes coming from inside her house. Taking a step forward, she looked up at the sky. It was a gloomy shade of gray. The perfect setting for a grade A storm. Nevertheless, she continued walking, and soon her house had disappeared due to the distance that her feet had taken her. She winced a little as the sky flashed bright with lightning, anticipating a loud boom of thunder. It came a few seconds later, and it sent shivers up Helga's spine. _

"_I hate you, Bob…. I hate you, Miriam…. I hate you all!" she muttered under her breath, slowly zipping up her light pink jacket. The wind was pretty strong now, and it had messed up her signature pigtails, but she didn't really care. She was already too mad about what had happened earlier during dinner to care. She shut her eyes quickly, trying her best to prevent the image from coming back into her mind once again. No, she didn't want to think about it anymore. Thunder crackled suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. At the third intersection from her house, Helga began to cry. _

_The first few drops of rain had already fallen, hiding her tears in the process. She continued walking, and soon found herself picking up pace together with the storm and the howling wind. Before she knew it, she was running as fast as she could, trying her best to forget about her problems and the rest of her so-called "life". She couldn't feel her legs anymore, and she had raised her arms as high as she could, savoring the storm, the rain, and everything else in it and about it. She screamed then, without a care in the world, and by the time she slowed down enough to catch up on her breathing, she was ready to explode. _

_Helga stopped running once she reached the stairs of an old abandoned building. She sat down slowly on the cement, already very much aware of the tingling sensation engulfing her legs. It had felt good doing what she had done, but as she sat there quietly on the pavement, everything just came crashing back down to her again, invading her thoughts and even the innermost corners of her mind. She lowered her head onto her knees and sobbed. She felt horrible. _

"_Helga, is that you?" _

_Helga body stiffened at the sound of his voice. Arnold's voice. _

_Crap, she thought to herself, not daring to look up. Out of all the people in Hillwood, why him? Why did he have to be the one to catch her being uncharacteristically emotional and vulnerable? She felt so humiliated._

"_Helga, what happened??" Arnold continued, concern draped all over his voice. "Why are you out in this kind of weather? Do your parents know where you are?" _

"_Just shut up for a second, Arnold." Helga replied coldly. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially Arnold. She needed time to think. She knew that she had to tell everyone what was going to happen to her, but right now she still didn't know what to say and how on earth she was going to say it. Her brow furrowed once he stepped closer. His footsteps made tiny splashes in the rain. _

"_Why do you always stick your nose into other people's business like that, football-head??" she snapped at him, relaxing a little once the footsteps stopped. This was it, she thought. He was going to leave her now, and she could just go about her misery until she summoned enough courage to tell him and the rest of her class about her moving to California, which was probably going to be the day after tomorrow… or maybe the day after that. She sighed, waiting for him to walk away, but a few moments had already passed and he still didn't move._

"_Just… just leave me alone." She said hesitantly, hoping that it would finally make him leave her be for the rest of the afternoon. "I did it…" she thought, finally hearing his footsteps in the rain once more. She lifted her head up just to make sure that he was really leaving, but instead of seeing his back turned to her as he walked in the opposite direction, she saw and felt his arms wrap around her tightly._

"_A-arnold?" she gasped, completely taken aback by his actions. She tried to move away, but the boy managed to tighten his grip around her when she did so. "What… what are you doing?"_

"_Something I should've done a long time ago." Arnold replied softly. Helga immediately looked up at him in response to his words and froze as Arnold swiftly pulled her in for a kiss. It was short and sweet, but still passionate, taking Helga a second or two after it was over to realize what had just happened. _

"_Arnold… you-"_

"_Helga, please don't keep me out of your life like this. I love you and I want to be there for you." He interrupted, stroking her hair gently as he spoke. Helga stared at him in complete disbelief. _

"_Y-you love me?" she asked him, her hands reaching for the collar of his t-shirt. He nodded slowly, placing his hand on top of hers. _

"_Yes, Helga. I do. Now please, tell me what's wrong." He said, his voice sounding very worried. Helga sighed before opening her mouth to speak. _

"_You see…"_

"HELGA! WAKE UP! GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE AND EAT YOUR BREAKFAST!" Big Bob shouted from the outside of Helga's room. He knocked on the door a couple of times before Helga shouted back that she was indeed awake, then he left, his footsteps echoing loudly as he climbed down the stairs.

Helga opened her eyes slowly, squinting in pain from the bright sunlight that flooded her room. She knew she had dreamt about Arnold again, but this time he had done something different. Instead of leaving her in the rain, he had…had…

Helga grunted in frustration. She didn't remember. She tried again, gathering as many fragments of the dream as she could. But in the end, she still couldn't. She finally gave up trying after a while. She moaned as she got out of bed, suddenly remembering what had happened the day before.

She sighed. Today was not going to be pretty.

--------------

HEY ARNOLD. HEY ARNOLD. HEY ARNOLD. HEY-

Arnold groaned as he slammed him palm onto the off switch of his alarm clock. He had dreamt about that night with Helga again, only this time, it had gone quite differently compared to all his other dreams. Instead of leaving her out on the streets, he had held her in his arms and had told her that he… he…

"I don't remember…" Arnold mumbled, suddenly very pissed at his alarm clock for waking him up on time. He sat up quickly, trying to get his thoughts in order. He had a lot to do today, and he had better get an early start if he was going to finish everything.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I rather enjoyed writing that dream sequence and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as well. I've also been getting a lot of inspiration for my stories recently. I just pray that it doesn't run out until I finish this one. XD


	4. Chapter 4

**REALLY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Hey guys. I really appreciate all of you who have read and commented on my stories. Unfortunately, I have some not-so-good news. In a few days I'll be starting my first year in college which will give me very little time to write my stories. So chapter updates might be done monthly or even bi-monthly (I'm really sorry about that). Of course, I'll do everything in my power to try and finish the story, so you don't have to worry. :D Another thing is that although I did manage to start chapter four, only a very small part of it is worth posting right now. Hopefully I'll be able to rewrite the other parts of it before school work starts piling up. **

**Thanks again for reading and commenting! I really appreciate it a whole lot. Inspiration is still coming, so that's good! Enjoy. :D**

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"YOU WHAT?" Gerald asked his best friend, eyes bulging in surprise. "Arnold, my man, I can't believe you agreed to do that! I mean, I know you're always helping people out and everything… but this? It's like you've become some sort of…errand boy or something!"

It was another laid-back Sunday morning, and the whole gang had just finished another football game over at Geraldfield. They still kept the place as neat as possible, but its age was already beginning to show together with the buildings surrounding it. In fact, the one to its right was scheduled to be demolished in a few weeks' time, courtesy of Mr. Ernie Potts himself. Everyone hoped that the rubble wouldn't affect the field too badly, but in case it did, they were already milking the field for all its worth while they still had the chance.

Arnold looked around. The guys were in the corner, fixing up the equipment while the girls were over at the bleachers, getting ready to leave. The girls from their class watched games instead of playing them now that they were older, but most of the boys didn't mind anyway, since they could play more roughly without them.

"I know, Gerald. But at the time, I didn't know what else to do." Arnold finally replied, feeling a little ashamed. "Besides, it's just one measly gift. It won't take too much of my time, with you helping me and all." He added hopefully.

"Hold up. When did I say I was gonna help you? Are you outta your mind??"

"Gerald-"

"I don't think I'd be the right person to help you anyway. Why don't you ask Princess Rhonda over there? She's obviously _perfect_ for the job." Gerald interrupted, pointing to a tall slender girl in red near the scoreboard. She was chatting animatedly with a group of younger girls that were admiring her designer shoes and accessories.

"Okay, fine." Arnold said, slightly pissed at Gerald for refusing to help him. He walked over to the group, and lightly tapped the girl on her shoulder. "Rhonda, I need to talk to you."

The girl continued speaking, not minding him for a few minutes. Arnold sighed in frustration. He didn't seem to have much patience that day. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was because of the weird dream he had the night before.

"Rhonda. C'mon. It's important." He tried again, this time placing his hand on her arm and keeping it there until she spoke to him.

"Ugh. Okay, okay. What is it, Arnold? Make it quick because I don't have all day." Rhonda said, finally turning around to face him. Arnold began to pull her away quickly from the posse, who were now whispering to themselves and eyeing him strangely.

"Ouch! How dare you manhandle me! "Rhonda shouted, tearing herself away from his grip. She then rubbed her arm profusely.

"Sorry." Arnold apologized, slightly regretting what he had done. "Anyway, at least we're sort of alone now. I need to ask you a favor."

"A favor? I'm sorry, Arnold, but Rhonda Wellington Lloyd does NOT do favors." Rhonda replied, crossing her arms firmly on her chest.

"You didn't even listen to what it was yet. I wanted to ask you if you could help me buy a birthday gift for a girl. She's our age and…well, I'm kinda stumped on what to get her." Arnold continued, scratching the back of his neck. Rhonda looked at him for a moment before releasing her arms in defeat.

"Okay, Arnold. I'll help you." She sighed. "…But only because I haven't forgotten what you did for me on the day of the… "accident." She continued, her eyes narrowing when she said the last word, but Arnold wasn't listening anymore.

"Thanks so much, Rhonda!" he exclaimed, smiling at her. He felt like a huge part of the weight that he was carrying had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Yeah, whatever Arnold." Rhonda sighed, shooing him away with her hands before returning to her previous group. Arnold walked over to Gerald, who was now talking to Sid and Stinky. No doubt he was telling another one of those "Urban Legends" he knew so much about.

"So how'd it go?" Gerald asked, once he saw Arnold approaching them. Arnold smiled.

"It went just fine, Gerald. Just fine."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Yep. That's it. Sorry it's so short. I'll try to update it when I can for now. But anyway, thanks again for reading! Comment if you have the time. :D


	5. Chapter 4 continuation

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Because of what I said in the previous chapter, chapter 5 will be up after a couple of week's time. Moving on to happier things however, I finally revised the rest of chapter four, so here it is. Enjoy!

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"No kidding? You actually got Princess Rhonda over there to help you?" Gerald said, eyes widening in surprise. "I must say Arnold, I'm impressed."

"Yeah well, she only agreed to do it because of that time in the hallway last year when I helped her out. Apparently she still remembered it." Arnold replied.

"You mean the time you told her that she had a "stain" on her white skirt, just after she had walked around for hours, literally displaying it for the whole high school to see?" Gerald asked, stifling a laugh. "Man, oh man! I can still remember the looks on everybody's faces! She does owe you big time for that one, being the resident fashion queen at P.S. 118 and all."

"Gerald…" Arnold sighed, looking at his friend.

"I know, I know. I'm just fooling. But seriously Arnold, you're much better off with her helping you than me."

"Whatever you say, Gerald."

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"Bob! Miriam! I'm going out!" Helga shouted as she ran down the stairs, heading for the front door of her house. She had gotten a part-time job as a waitress in Slausen's Ice Cream Shop as a means of earning some cash for herself. Her parents could no longer afford to give her an allowance, so if she was going to survive, then she'd have to work. Slausen's had been the same place where she sat down to eat with her parents the day before, and today was going to be her first day of work. It almost seemed like the perfect job because the pay was pretty good even though it was part-time and she could go watch a movie after her shift since it was really near the movie theatre. The only problem with it was that-

"No, don't think about it, Helga ol' girl." She thought aloud, remembering that Arnold and the rest of the gang watched movies pretty often in there. She reassured herself that they wouldn't notice her much less recognize her if she played her cards right. And she would.

Helga glanced around from shop to shop as she walked, taking her time in extra-familiar places like Mrs. Vitello's flower shop and Mr. Green's meat shop. They hadn't changed a bit. Not even the paint jobs or the signages were different. She smiled to herself, finding comfort in the familiarity. Maybe moving back to Hillwood wasn't so bad after all.

As she continued to walk, the movie theatre soon came up into view. Slausens was across it, a few blocks to the right. The minute Helga spotted it, she began to jog and worked herself up to a light sweat by the time she arrived at the shop's entrance. She opened the door, relishing the clinking sounds of tiny bells as it swung open. She knew it would get annoying after a few days, but she liked it now, and that was that.

"Hello? Mr. Slausen? I'm here for the job!" She called out to the empty counter.

"Huh? Oh! Hello!" Came a voice from behind the double doors at the back. It swung open to reveal a tired looking Mr. Slausen carrying a box full of ice cream about to be stuffed into the display freezers out front. "Ms. Pataki, right?" He managed to say, clearly out of breath. Helga nodded her head before running over to help him.

"Call me Geraldine." Helga replied, seeing as she'd rather be called by her second name rather than her first one, in case anyone heard him. "But on second thought, Dina would be better, I guess."

"Great. Dina it is, then. I got a few more boxes like this one out back. My other employee, Brainy is already helping me carry 'em in. First thing's first, we gotta get 'em over here and sort 'em before my customers arrive." Mr.Slausen continued, placing his hands on his knees as he got ready to carry more boxes. At the sound of her co-worker's name however, Helga stopped dead in her tracks.

"W-who?" she asked, knowing the answer all too well.

"Brainy. Brainy uh… you know, I have no idea what his last name is." Mr. Slausen replied. "Quiet kid, mostly does all the jobs that don't require socializing with people. Why? Do you know him or something?"

"Huh? No! O-of course not! Whatever gave you that idea??" Helga scoffed, waving her hands in the air. She could feel her stomach sinking at the thought. Brainy? How on earth did she end up working with Brainy?? Even though he wouldn't tell on her if ever he found out her secret (she would make sure of that), she still didn't like the fact that she'd be working with a former classmate for crying out loud.

The doors to the back swung open once more and Helga gasped, hearing that all-too-familiar breathing noise she thought she'd never hear again. The face of the boy was obscured by the large box that he was carrying, but she already knew it was him. The little red tufts of hair that were visible from the top were unmistakable. It was Brainy alright, alive and in the flesh. Helga shut her eyes as soon as the boy began to set the box onto the floor. She'd have to tell him, lest she risk the chance of him telling the others about her if ever he were suspicious about her identity.

"I have to get this over with… I have to tell him." She thought to herself through closed eyes, her hands curling up into tight fists. She immediately opened both afterward, just in time to see the same old punch-able Brainy looking at her perplexedly before smiling and waving a few steps away.

"Nngghhh…. Nnngghhh….. Hey Helga. Nnggghh…. Long time no see. Nnngghh…."

---------------------------------

"Arnold, whatever is the matter? You seem ever so… out of it." Lila asked, placing her hand on his. Arnold blinked, trying to gather up his thoughts before turning to face the redhead.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lila. I just… have a lot on my mind, that's all." He replied, slowly pulling his hand away before proceeding to eat his lunch again. Lila soon did the same.

"Anyway, Arnold. I was just thinking of what we could do on our date today. I mean, besides having this ever so special lunch over here..." Lila said, in between tiny bites of her pizza. "I think a day at the pier would just be ever so romantic! We could play games and go sailing, and even explore Elk Island together!"

"That sounds great, Lila." Arnold said, smiling. He had originally planned to spend the rest of the day lazing around the boarding house, but a date with Lila seemed much more interesting and to be honest, he was having a lot of fun. He just couldn't get the black-haired girl off of this mind for some reason, no matter how hard he tried.

"Then on the way home, we'd probably be hungry, so I think stopping by Slausen's for some ice cream would be a perfect way to end a perfect day! Is that alright with you, Arnold?" Lila continued, clasping her hands together on her chest.

"Yeah. I haven't had Slausen's in a long time." Arnold replied. "I heard that Brainy works there too. Maybe he could give us a discount." He added, knowing that it probably wasn't going to happen. Still, he needed to save a little bit more money in order to buy a decent gift that he promised for that girl, and a discount could help him a lot.

"Finished?" He asked soon after. Lila wiped the edges of her lips with a napkin before nodding her head. The both stood up in unison. "C'mon, the pier awaits."

"Lead the way, handsome." Lila said, locking her arm onto his. They walked slowly, with her head leaning against his shoulder. Arnold walked on in silence, unable to believe that what was happening was really happening. So many times he had dreamt about situations like this with Lila, the girl of his dreams, but never did he imagine that the real thing would feel so… normal? No, that wasn't the word. Predictable? Boring? No, that definitely wasn't it.

Arnold sighed in frustration. He couldn't quite place his finger on what the problem was, but if he ignored it, his thoughts would just keep going back to the dream he had the night before.

"Maybe I'm just too tired to enjoy myself…" He muttered softly.

"What did you say, Arnold?" Lila asked, lifting her head from his shoulder. Arnold shook his head.

"No, it's nothing Lila."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: You know what? This story has almost reached the 1000 hits mark, all thanks to you guys! Haha, just felt like sharing. Anyway, I hope you liked the rest of this chapter and don't forget to review if you have the time:)


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